The New Girl
by R1ng0
Summary: Courtney is new to Collingwood. There are two groups of popular kids at the school: the troublemakers and the stuck-up privileged kids. Among the troublemakers is Duncan, the leader of the posse that Courtney meets and immediately hates.. at first.
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone! This is my first story (I really want to practice my writing skills) so please be honest and enjoy c:**

**Every chapter I'm going to try and write a little authors note in the beginning and end.**

**So this is just the prologue, it's very short but tomorrow I will post the next "chapter".**

**This story is about Courtney and Duncan, TDI never happened so this is in an alternate universe, but their personalities are intact.**

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

The morning was pretty hectic. I was running all over my room and up & down the stairs getting ready for my first day at Collingwood School. I had everything ready in time though: my uniform, lunch, notebooks- the whole lot!

It wasn't just my first day going to a school in a place I had just moved to, but my first day of high school. I was expecting it to be easier on me since there would be new freshmen, like me, but it turned out that Collingwood was for kindergarten through grade twelve, so almost everyone who went there had known each other for a very long time. I imagined it would be hard to get to know people. Being deemed as the "new girl" was inevitable, so I just had to face it and survive at least my first day. I barely made it out of my house without being _bombarded _by my parents kisses and hugs. I clutched my messenger bag, took a deep breath, and walked to my school with buds in my ears playing MGMT in an attempt to get me 'psyched' for the day.

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><p><strong>Me: There that wasn't so bad now was it?<strong>

**You: Kill it with fire and magnets :u**

**Me: Stay tuned for the next chapter! It won't be "teaser short" so no worries~**


	2. First Day Part 1

**Here's the next chapter :D**

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><p><strong><span>First Day, Part 1<span>**

I arrived at the school and headed for the entrance. I gazed at its structure; the pillars were huge and the school's "Collingwood School" crest was intricately designed. The place was much different than the public schools I was used to going to. Though, it was a nice breath of fresh air. I found my way to the main office and met with the headmaster.

"Hello Ms. Castro," he shook my hand and gestured to the seat in front of his desk, "Please, take a seat."

I plopped onto the leather chair. My eyes couldn't help but shuffle around to take a gander at the décor and the glassed certificates taking over one of the walls.

"How do you like the building so far? Tell me a bit about yourself," he glimpsed at a paper, "Courtney."

My brows creased and my muscles tingled. I couldn't think of anything to respond with and I was sure to have had a dumb smile on.

"It's really nice" I let out, " and I like clubs and mixed martial arts."

He sat back with his hands entwined and a slight nod going on, "Interesting. Lucky for you we have a Judo club that competes. You should come round the office after your last class for more information."

I nodded with a smile. I thought to myself that joining the club could be a great opportunity to show my strengths and even make friends. I was sure Judo Club was going to be on my mind for the rest of the school day. The headmaster gave me my schedule, among other papers, and sent me off to class. My first class was Painting, _a good way to start off the day_, I thought.

"Everyone, I'd like you to welcome our new student, Courtney Castro."

My introduction was pretty normal. All I had to say was where I was from. Mrs. Reddish was nice enough to not make my introduction too awkward. The students in the class watched me as I uncomfortably stood there waiting for whatever was going to happen next.

"She can sit with me!" A voice said from the back.

Mrs. Reddish pointed to a beautiful girl. She had perfect straight black hair adorned with a headband, and flawless cream skin. I was surprised someone like her would want to associate with someone like me. When I sat down next to her she faced me with a pearly white smile.

"My name's Heather. You know, you're pretty." She put her elbow on the desk and leaned on her hand, still facing me, "You're gonna have to watch out for the dogs in this school."

I was in amazement, "Oh wow, thanks! You're perfec-" I stopped myself before I sounded more like a dork, "I mean, you too!"

She twirled a lock of her hair, "Yeah, I know. Listen, you should eat lunch with me and my friends."

Heather seemed a little full of herself, but it was my first day and I needed to make good impressions. I agreed to eat lunch with them; after all it was a chance that shot down to my life's palette from the freaking universe.

The teacher spoke about what materials we were going to need and the projects we were going to do along the year. I looked to my side and noticed something strange. It was a rough-looking boy with silver earrings and green-tipped black hair. If it weren't for his angsty teenaged outlook, those wonderful oceanic eyes of his would have probably been the first thing for me to notice. He caught me staring and subsequently stared right back at me. I looked away and couldn't help but look back a couple seconds after. He was still staring me down. I felt like he was trying to intimidate me.

"That's Duncan. Don't associate with idiots like him," Heather startled me as she whispered, "His posse is trouble."

"Oh, yeah." I fixed my eyes at the teacher and tried my best not to glance back at the boy.

After Painting was Algebra I then Geography. The classes seemed to take forever to end, but I was consoled by the bell indicating that it was lunch time. In the cafeteria, it wasn't until I heard Heather calling me over that I remembered I was suppose to sit with her and her friends for lunch. I smiled and walked over.

"Come here," she patted the open space next to her, "Sit."

Everyone at the table was looking at me and introducing themselves. I was glad, because if it wasn't for Heather chances are I'd be alone right now.

"I'm Bridgette," one of the girls said as a boy next to her played with her blonde ponytail, "And this is Geoff."

"What's your name?" said the boy sitting across from me.

"Courtney." I said.

"Cool, I'm Alejandro." He winked at me.

His action made me cringe a little. For some reason I felt uncomfortable around him, but he was so attractive. Others introduced themselves and asked me all kinds of questions like where I was from and what kinds of things I was into. The table was incredibly social. Heather pulled me close and, on the sly, she pointed towards a group of people that had just walked into the cafeteria.

"See those people? Those were the troublemakers I told you about earlier. They're gross and brainless and unwanted so try your best not to talk to any of them." She said.

"Yeah. They're a bunch of jerks who think they're bad ass just because they don't follow the rules and start fights. Hanging with them is an automatic social suicide." Alejandro added in.

A blonde with a valley-girl voice jumped into the conversation, "I heard this kid double crossed Duncan Moreau once, and for payback he bit the head off a squirrel and fed it to the kid."

Heather flicked the blonde's forehead "Lindsay.. that's the stupidest thing I've heard today from you."

"Ow.." she rubbed her forehead.

I didn't know what to believe. The group of the so called 'troublemakers' looked so gaudy. But there he was again, the boy with the beautiful eyes- Duncan. Him and his peers passed by us. The people at the table I was sitting with shared glares with the troublemakers all except for Duncan, who coolly looked straight ahead. To be honest, I was a _little _upset that he didn't bother to look at me again.

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><p><strong>Me: So how was it?<strong>

**You: Hmm.. not too shabby.**

**Duncan: I'm not an angsty teenager :'c**

**Me: ...right. Stay tuned guise!**


	3. First Day Part 2

**Hi guise. Sorry for the wait, the weather has really been harsh on my internet and I was busy with le parties on the weekend, lul :p**

**Well, here ya go- the next chapter!**

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><p><strong>First Day, Part 2<strong>

Lunch period turned out to be a success, minus the glare-off at the end. I was glad to have made new friends and was sure I left the cafeteria with a good impression of me. I headed to my last class of the day, English I.

_Just one hour and forty-five minutes to go,_ I told myself.

I entered the class and the teacher showed me to my seat. When the bell rung and the students were seated, he introduced me. It was brief. A couple minutes after, though, that certain rough-looking boy from before walked into my class.

_Duncan._

With full composure, he ignored the teacher's complaints about him being late and took the empty seat next to me. I hadn't noticed it was empty to begin with and revolted at the idea that he would be beside me for the _whole_ first semester. I sulked in my chair and made an effort to not glance at him. Though, there were times where we'd share momentary looks. I was afraid he'd say something vicious to me if I kept doing it. It was as if a giant elephant walked into the room and decided to sit next to me and nothing was said about it. The time in class felt like ages compared to what it was really. The bell rung and I jolted out of my seat, rushing for the door.

I basically galloped to the main office and probably looked like an insane person while I was at it. I just wanted to get the information about Judo Club and go home. The lady at the desk directed me to a table at a wall to the side with all the pamphlets and papers for the available clubs. There were so many, but I was set on Judo Club for now.

A trio of boys came out of a crossing hallway but I was too busy to notice since I was fidgeting with the papers inside of my bag. I crashed into the boy in the middle. At this point of my story, it shouldn't be hard to guess who I had bumped into: _Duncan_.

Without looking up, I managed to let out an apologetic "oops" followed by a "sorry".

"Hey bitch, learn to walk!"

I looked up at him with slight disbelief at his rudeness. I wanted to have faith that he could be a nice guy and that everyone at lunch was just judging a book by it's cover, but boy was I wishfully thinking. At this point, I wanted to punch him in the face.

"Wow. I take that back," I gave him a contemptuous sneer, "I'm _not_ sorry."

We stood there glaring at each other for a good five seconds- at the same time trying to pay no attention to his eyes- until I pushed him with my shoulder, basically walking right through him. I hurriedly walked to the front doors and once they were closed behind me, I jogged away. I couldn't help what I did. I called myself stupid but at the same time I knew he deserved it.

_It's not like he owns the hallways, _I tried to reassure myself.

I was sure at that instant that I hated him. I was going to make what I said to him the first and last thing he'd ever hear me say to him. He was rude, grimy, and most definitely a neanderthal. I just had to pretend his eyes were poop-brown and I was on my way to fully ignoring his presence. When I got home I immediately took off my uniform.

_This really is too warm_, I thought to myself.

I leaned on my bed frame with my laptop in my lap. Of course, the first site I went to was Facebook. Heather sent me a friend request and so did Bridgette. Soon after accepting, a few others from the lunch table friend requested me. I lurked and lurked for hours while listening to music and doing my homework. I went from Bridgette's page to some other random person's page and so on. Eventually, I found someone who was friends with Duncan on Facebook. It triggered my memory about our encounter earlier that day.

_ What are they gonna do to me tomorrow?_

_ I should have kept my mouth shut._

All I heard was unpleasant things about him and his posse and how they react to people who talk badly to them. I knew that I was done for, but maybe my new buddies at school would help me out. After all, they hated Duncan and his friends too. I had one new message on Facebook and had a "Yay someone must love me" moment. But it was a real bombshell disappointment when I saw whom it was from. It was Duncan, out of the blue.

_ Crap, what's going to happen?_

Duncan Moreau: You better watch yourself.

I contemplated for a few minutes on whether on not I should message him back. I decided I would- I wanted to show him that I wasn't scared of him.

Courtney Castro: Same goes for you, jerk.

I clicked reply and my heart started racing immediately after. There was no turning back; I was convinced that I started a war. But, it was about time someone said something to him. He walked around like he was freaking superior compared to everyone else. He wasn't a bad ass- he was just an ass. I got a reply a couple minutes after.

Duncan Moreau: Don't fuck with me, you'll regret it.

I was infuriated! Who did he think he was, threatening me like that? He was such a dick. I violently typed my reply.

Courtney Castro: GOODBYE ASS HOLE

I got a reply from him, but I didn't bother to look at it. I closed my laptop and put it on my desk. I had mixed feelings about the situation. I was angry and worried. Worried about what he was going to do. I didn't want my new life here to begin with having my mortal enemy as the most awful kid at school. I was afraid that if people started to notice that he hated me, they wouldn't want to be around to avoid having anything to do with him.

"Courtney, I'm home! And so is your father!" My mom called from downstairs.

I went downstairs to help my mom cook dinner. We sat at the table and I ate there in silence. My parents were talking about their day and then, to my demise, asked me about mine.

My father filled his cup with iced tea, "So, how was your first day of school? I'm sure everyone including your teachers must love you already."

"It was…" I picked at my rice, "better than expected."

"Did you make any friends?" My mom asked.

"Yeah, I met this girl Heather and she introduced me to her friends. They're pretty nice, but, there are some really bad kids at my school mom."

"Well, knowing you, I'm sure they'll take a liking to you too."

I raised my brows, "Right…"

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><p><strong>Me: Thanks for reading!<strong>

**Duncan: BITCH FINNA GET CUT**

**Me: Err remember stay tuned and review!**

**Courtney: I'm going to die aren't I? \(;-;)/**


	4. Just My Luck

**Here's the next chapter! Enjoy the read :3**

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><p><strong>Just My Luck<strong>

So I was doomed. The walk to school was kind of depressing. I really didn't want any enemies and it just _had_ to be Duncan.

_Maybe he'll forget all about it. Plus, what's the point in wasting time on me?_ I stopped to think.

Eyes closed, I nodded to myself. I took a deep breath and held it for ten seconds before letting it out. I needed to calm myself down and go to school with a straight mind. I opened my eyes.

_OH SWEET JESUS!_

I staggered backwards into a brick fence.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Duncan put his hand against the brick fence, as if to corner me, "You act like you just got out of a mental hospital."

I couldn't say anything; I was in shock. He came out of nowhere, and in the middle of me trying to calm down! So much for going to school with a straight mind.

"I'm talking to you. Why don't you talk back? Where's that spunk of yours now?" He teased.

"Get away from me." I finally said something.

"How about no."

"Okay. Well then while you're here, how about apologizing for calling me a bitch yesterday?"

"No way!" He removed his hand and took a step back, "You're the one who bumped into me!"

I crossed my arms and raised my voice, "It was a mistake! And I said I was sorry but you went and called me a bitch and told me to _watch where I was going_!"

"Then you took it back!" He pointed his finger at me.

I slapped his hand out of my face, "How could I not? You really are a jerk."

I walked off, my steps clearly showing my frustration.

Duncan called after me, "'Ey well, shut up!"

_The nerve that kid has. What did his little talk with me even accomplish? Was that really all he had in mind to say or do?_

I went to class, but I knew that he had the same first block as me (much to my disappointment). At least Heather would be in class with me. I sat down next to her in silence and got my materials out.

"Hey, you good?" Heather asked me.

Her question brought my furrowed face to attention, so I softened my expression up a bit, "Oh, yeah. I'm okay. It's just that jerk Duncan bothered me before I came to class."

"What?" She freaked out, grabbing me, "What did you do to make him bother you?"

"It's kind of a long story." I really didn't want to explain it.

"Courtney tell me what happened!"

"I bumped into him yesterday, I apologized and then he called me a bitch." I crossed my arms, "I got so mad that I bumped into him again and basically ran away from the school. That guy is scary."

"Jeeze. Well what can you expect from a guy like him right? Don't talk to him anymore."

It was at that moment when I realized Duncan walked into the classroom. He had heard Heather telling me to not talk to him anymore. I took this opportunity to make sure he knew how I felt.

"Yeah, why would I want to talk to a _dick_ like that?"

I turned my head to face the front of the classroom, but my eyes were still a bit focused on Duncan. His brow was creased and he was leaning back on his chair with arms crossed. I didn't understand why he had the right to be angry. After all, I didn't do anything wrong, _he _was the one doing the terrorizing.

Mrs. Reddish hit the board with her ruler, "Alright kiddos, today we're going to work on our first project: painting a collage. You're going to get into groups of four and each of you will have a corner on a large canvas. You'll have to paint something on your corner that represents yourself. And don't forget to mesh the individual paintings together in the middle."

She went to her desk and pulled out a hat from one of the drawers. Walking towards the first desk on the far right of the class, she set down the hat.

"Each of you is going to take a number. Whoever has your number is in your group. Don't worry, I may be an art teacher but I can still count so, all of you will have a group to be in."

She went from student to student, each of them taking a little piece of paper out of the black suede hat. Mrs. Reddish would say their number aloud so the students paying attention could know their group members earlier. I ran my fingers through my hair multiple times- it was my anxiety mechanism. The hat came to Duncan and the teacher said his number aloud: 5.

_ For the love of god and all that is holy please don't let me have the same number as Duncan._

When it got to me I closed my eyes and took one of the papers out of the hat. When I opened them, I took a look at Duncan, locked my eyes with his, and then crushed the little paper in my hand. The universe was not on my side that day; I had gotten his number. Just my luck. He smirked a little, aware of what had just happened. He stood up and came over to me and sat in Heathers seat, which was now empty since she went to her group.

"Why don't you wipe that smirk off of your face before I do it for you."

He waved his hands around, "Hey, no need to be mean. I'm your group member! We've gotta work together."

"Heh, very funny." I pointed at him, "_You? Work?_"

"I like this class, why do you think I'm in it?"

"Because it's an easy A."

"Like I care about that." He retorted.

"Whatever." I turned to our other group members, "Hi, I'm Courtney."

The boy in front of me smiled, "I'm Justin."

"And I'm Trent," said the other one.

_Cool. A group filled with boys._

I got up to get one of the canvases and sat back down, placing it on the table.

"Well, uh, I guess we all take a corner and start?" I decided to keep things going.

"Yeah, what are you going to paint?" Trent asked.

"Not sure yet," I scratched the side of my face, "Maybe a violin."

"Oh, you play?"

I smiled, "Mhm."

"You should join the music club, I'd like to hear you play sometime."

I looked at Duncan and he was already painting something, ignoring the conversation.

_ Maybe he really does like this class._

Then I noticed he was painting a skull, "Really? A skull, Duncan?"

He looked up, "Yeah. They're cool."

"And _that_ represents _you_?" Justin asked.

"They're cool, scary, and part of the human body. We've all got a skull in us, so why not?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Right."

"'Ey, I'm not saying anything about your stupid violin."

"It's not stupid! It's a beautiful instrument and a dope like you could never be able to play it."

"Like I'd want to anyways. I'd rather hear _you_ play it." He winked.

I backed away in repulsion, "No way would I play for you!"

Justin and Trent looked at each other for a couple seconds, and then just laughed. I whiplashed my head to the two boys and gave them a glare.

"What's so funny?"

"You two sure fight a lot." Justin stated.

I scoffed and got to work on my part of the collage.

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><p><strong>Me: Looks like we've got some more conversation between Courtney and Duncan this time!<strong>

**You: I wonder what will happen as their relationship progresses :0**

**Me: You're gonna have to stay tuned to find out :p**

**Courtney: I see bloodshed.**

**Duncan: And I see you, baby ;)**

**Courtney: BACK AWAY FOUL BEAST!**


	5. Carnival

**Hello everyone! Here's a nice juicy chapter for you all c:**

**Btw, some of you may be wondering about Heather's character, but I don't know if I want to make her mean or not.**

**Anyways, enjoy the read!**

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><p><strong><span>Carnival<span>**

After Painting class my nerves settled down. I had until my last class to be calm and collected, because I wouldn't have to come in contact with Duncan until then. I spent my time in Algebra I and Geography daydreaming about nothing. I barely paid attention and just wanted to go home. When lunchtime came I met up with Heather and the rest.

"Hey Courtney, you're coming tonight right?" Bridgette asked.

"Huh?" I had no idea as to what she was talking about.

"Did you even get my message on Facebook?" Heather asked.

"Oh. I got off early last night." _Because of Duncan._

"Well, there's a carnival that came in yesterday and we're all going tonight. You should come with us- it'll be fun."

"Cool," _something to get my mind off him,_ "I'll ask my parents. I'm sure I can go though."

"I can pick you up." Alejandro said.

I smiled, "Sure, why not?"

"Cool. I'll be at your house at seven-thirty." He said.

Alejandro and I exchanged numbers. Seven-thirty seemed pretty late, seeing how we were going to a carnival and would probably be there for hours. But, then I realized it was Friday so my mood got a little better. I was actually looking forward to the carnival since it'd be my first time going out with my new friends. Things were looking up so I was determined to keep it that way.

Lunch was over and it was time to get to my English class. All I had to do was survive another hour and forty-five minutes with Duncan and then I'd be at a carnival and enjoy the weekend. When I got to class Duncan was already in his seat. I didn't look at him as I went to go sit down, but I could feel his eyes on me all the way there.

"Afternoon everyone!" The teacher spoke, "Today we're going to start reading Twilight."

_What?_

Everyone in class looked around murmuring with confused faces.

Mr. Calvert waved his hand, "I'm kidding! I'm not here to torture you guys. We're going to read Flowers for Algernon."

We all sighed in relief and some of us even laughed.

"Twilight, what a load of crap eh?" Duncan was talking to me.

I half smiled, "Heh, yeah."

To be honest, a couple years ago I had secretly enjoyed the book like a little fan girl. But, overtime I realized how stupid it was.

We all got a "Flowers for Algernon" paperback and had to take turns reading aloud two paragraphs each. When it got to Duncan's turn, I actually became a little uncomfortable. I mean, there he was, reading aloud relaxed and composed. After hearing his voice like that, I had to admit it was a little soothing. I was so used to hearing his raised voice or him saying something snarky that I never noticed how appealing it could be. I held the book close to my face trying to hide the fact I kept looking at him. Duncan stopped reading and I quickly turned my head towards the windowed wall, breaking eye contact with him.

"Umm, Courtney," I felt a nudge, "it's your turn."

I looked back at him, "Oh! Yeah, sorry."

I read in my normal tone, but I was still uncomfortable. Reading for the class was always a little hard because everyone is listening, waiting for you to make a mistake. I was sure I wouldn't make one, but I had accidentally said "Agernon" instead of "Algernon". Duncan chuckled, but I just kept going until I finished. I pretended to be reading along while the others read aloud. I was thinking about _Duncan_. I mentally hit myself in the head. He was leaning back, as usual, with one hand holding his book and the other arm on the side of his chair. He caught me staring and raised one of his brows. I wanted to say something to explain myself, but the bell rung. I grabbed my things and got up, quick to leave. Duncan unexpectedly grabbed my arm before I could make it out the door.

"Let go of me." I shook my arm out of his grasp.

"I just wanted to ask you a question, sheesh."

"Okay, what?" I demanded.

"Are you going to the carnival tonight?"

"What's it to you?"

"That means yes. I might see you tonight then." He smiled and waved as he walked out of the class.

"Wait, what?" I called after him, but he just kept walking.

_Great. Carnival equals ruined._

When I got home Alejandro texted me, asking for my address. I sat there for a minute or two thinking of whether or not I should go, but I didn't want to chicken out because of one person. I texted him my address and got in the shower. I spent my quality time in there thinking about different ways to respond to Duncan if he approached me at the carnival. I was afraid he would when I'd be with my friends, and that'd be super awkward since they hate Duncan and his posse.

_Maybe I'll just avoid him at all costs._

I got out of the shower and blow-dried my hair. I had a little trouble choosing what to wear, and I sure as hell wasn't going to spend hours on dressing up for a carnival, so I went with something casual. Jean shorts, a green & black baseball tee, and black Keds were the best way to go. I got a text from Alejandro telling me that he was at my house and to come outside. I ran down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" My dad asked.

_Crap! I forgot to ask!_

"I'm really sorry, I forgot to ask. My new friends invited me to go with them to a local carnival that just came."

"Well, what time will you be back?"

"Not too late, I promise." I kissed him on the head.

"Okay, have fun, but next time tell me your plans in time."

"Yeah, love you dad!" I ran out the door.

"Hey! Come on." Alejandro called from the sidewalk.

I went to him and we started walking, "So how is everyone else getting there?"

"Everyone else lives close to each other and where the carnival is being held so they walked there together."

We went to the bus stop down the street from my house. The ride there was pretty nice. We talked about music and then he asked me about my relationships.

"I've never had a boyfriend." I sadly admitted.

"That's okay. We're really young anyway." He tried to reassure me.

"Yeah, I guess."

We got off at a stop really close to the carnival. We met up with the others at the entrance and paid for our tickets.

"So, whaddya guys wanna go on first?" said the blonde boy who had his arm wrapped around Bridgette.

_What was his name again?_

"How about the swinging ship?" Heather said.

"Oh. I don't know how I feel about that…" He put his free hand on his stomach.

Bridgette rubbed his head, "Come on Geoff, I'm sure it'll be fun!"

_Oh! That's his name. Who names their kid that?_

We went on the swinging ship ride and Geoff screamed like he was getting stabbed. I was letting out a mixture of laughter and giggles; the feeling in my stomach was weird. We got off of the ride laughing at the fact Geoff looked like he was going to vomit. I stopped laughing when I noticed Duncan and his friends thirty feet away from us. He looked like he was going to come my way, so I had to think fast.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go get some cotton candy. I'll catch up." I basically ran away.

I looked for a place to hide. I was beginning to think running away was a dumb idea. I went inside a structure without checking to see what it was. At first there were mirrors everywhere, then I went inside a dark room with glowing neon stuff all over. I bumped into someone.

"Oof!"

"Hey." It was a familiar voice.

"Alejandro?" I could see his face now, though it was still very dark.

"Yeah. What are you doing?"

"Just looking around." I lied.

"Well," he put his hand on my waist, "it's never a good idea to go looking around alone."

I turned my head to the side and blushed, "I guess."

_What was he doing?_

Alejandro pulled me closer. I couldn't think. I wanted to push him away but I just couldn't.

"Alejandro, stop."

"What? Don't you like me?"

"I…"

"I'll see you later." He walked off, hands in his pockets.

I felt pretty bad, but that was all so sudden. I didn't like rejecting people, but I couldn't just let someone I didn't like kiss me. It would be wrong. I stayed in the dark room for a few more minutes while couples of people walked through every now and then.

"Hey."

I looked up; only to see the face of the person I had been running from. He looked at me while I stood silent for an awkward few seconds.

"You okay?" He talked to me again.

I nodded and gave him a cheery smile, "Yeah. Why are you following me?" And there went my smile.

"It's a carnival and it just so happens we both like fun houses."

"Oh, right." I crossed my arms.

"Are you and that Alejandro kid together?"

My head went back, "Were you watching?"

"I saw, but it's not like I was being a peeping tom!"

"How long have you been here?"

"I didn't know when to come over and talk to you…" He looked away, embarrassed.

At that moment I realized something. That past week had been very uncomfortable for me, but the reason wasn't what I had thought it'd been that entire time. I thought it was because I hated Duncan and being around him made me mad, but it was something else. In that dark room, with the help of the glow, I could see the vulnerable expression he had on his face. My hormones were raging and I just couldn't help myself on what I did next. I took his face and pulled him in, kissing him.

He broke the kiss, "Whoa. What was that?"

"I… I don't know. I'll go." I turned around and started walking.

He grabbed my arm and spun me around, "Don't go, I'm not rejecting you."

He bent down and kissed me on the lips. I didn't know what to do but what was done was done- I brought it upon myself. He wrapped his arms around me and deepened the embrace. I opened my eyes and freaked out.

"Uh, I need to go!" I ran out of the fun house, leaving a very confused Duncan behind.

Walking around the carnival grounds, I kept thinking about the kiss.

_What was I thinking? Why did I do that? Wouldn't it have been better to let Alejandro kiss me?_

"Hey Courtney!" Heather was waving.

I waved back, "Hey!"

She ran up to me and everyone else followed slowly, "Where did you go? Alejandro tried to find you but he said he couldn't."

He lied. I looked at Alejandro for a second- he was looking away. I guess if I were him I wouldn't have wanted to explain what had happened in there anyways, "I got some cotton candy then I kind of just walked around."

"It's okay, we had a lot of fun. We're gonna go back to my house, wanna come?"

"I've got to get home. I told my dad I wouldn't be home late."

"Do you always do everything your parents ask?" She raised a brow.

"Next time okay? Promise!"

She hugged me, "Alright then. See you later."

I said my goodbyes to everyone else and headed for the bus stop. I spent the entire time going home sulking about the mess I had gotten myself into.

_What am I gonna do?_

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><p><strong>Me: How as that? Thanks for the reviews guys. I'm going to attempt making each chapter around this length. Also, to cute-kayz, thanks so much (: I'm really trying to get better at writing because I want to write a book, but I feel like the way I write right now isn't very flowy. Practice makes perfect.<strong>

**Courtney: What have I done?**

**Duncan: Aweee yeeee!**

**Geoff: MY NAME IS UNIQUE!**


	6. Confused Feelings

**OH MY GOD. I am so so so so so sorry for being late on publishing this. I've been so busy with my band and school! I promise to try and be faster with publishing chapters! I know you've all been waiting, so here you go! Please enjoy (:**

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><p><strong><span>Confused Feelings<span>**

Saturday morning was filled with thoughts of the night before. I had given my first kiss to Duncan, and so abruptly. Of course I liked it, _but was it the right thing to do? _I asked myself. Duncan was most certainly not the boy to bring home to parents. And maybe Duncan just wanted a hook-up; to get what he wanted and stop talking to me soon after.

I shook my head, _I'm too young for this._

I went downstairs to eat breakfast before brushing my teeth. It was the morning, so I decided to do something active to jump-start my day. Plus, exercise relieves stress. So I put on a simple crème coloured sundress and went bike riding. I didn't pedal too quickly; I simply wanted to go around, from neighborhood to neighborhood at a calming pace.

The breeze was refreshing and the sun was warm on my skin. I was surprised at the fact that there weren't many cars driving around, but I suspected that it was because most people like to sleep in on a weekend morning. I took that opportunity to pedal quickly for a few seconds and then let physics do the work. While my bike sped down a suburban street, I closed my eyes for a couple moments- it was so relaxing.

"Hey you!"

My eyes shot open and I was startled to the point where I barely lost control of the direction my bike was going. I clutched the brake before ramming into a mailbox. My foot hit the ground then I turned my head around, my hands still on the handlebars. The person who yelled was a shirtless, lawn-mowing Duncan.

"Duncan?"

He turned off the mower and brushed off the grass that had flown and stuck to his torso. I spun my bike around by the front of it and walked with it to him. We both kind of just stood there with nothing to say, at first.

"So… You don't seem like the type to be mowing the lawn." I blurted out.

He shrugged, "My dad told me if I don't he'll make my life a living hell."

"Oh…"

"He's a cop so it wouldn't be hard for him." He scratched the back of his neck.

To be honest, I was trying really hard to not look at his chest. He was really fit, but its not like I was shocked; Duncan wasn't the type to just lay around all the time. I was sure he spent a lot of his time and energy on running from and to trouble.

"Do you mind putting on a shirt?"

"What? Too much for you to handle?" He inched closer.

I blushed and looked at his eyes, "Just put on a shirt, you're being indecent."

"Fine then."

He walked towards the door of his house and grabbed a dark teal shirt from the railing of his front patio. He put it on while walking back to me.

"Better?"

"Much better."

"Yeah, 'cause a clothed Duncan is better than a bare one, right?" He teased.

I 'hmphed' in disgust "Don't get too cocky, ogre."

"Whatever. So what were you doing riding a bike with your eyes _closed_?"

I was a little embarrassed that he had saw my small nirvana-ish moment I had thought to be private, "Just taking it all in."

He beamed a smile, "Right. Do you live around here?"

"Like I'm going to tell you where I live." I gripped the bike handle even more.

"I'm sure you would've been happy to tell me last night." He laughed.

"_Nothing_ happened, got it?" I shook my index finger at him.

"_Something_ did, and I'm not gonna forget any of it!"

There was no doubt in my mind that Duncan wasn't kidding. Something that still lingered in my mind though was his hostility towards me when we first met. Now he was bothering me about something completely different than that.

"Wanna come in?" He asked, breaking the silence.

I gave him a weird look. He should have known my answer to that would be negative. Going in his house would be a really bad idea, considering the circumstances. I didn't want to know what images could possibly be flowing through his dumb head.

"I won't try anything, I promise. Plus, it should be _me_ who's scared since _you're_ the one who kissed me."

"Oh come on!" _That was completely unfair!_

He grabbed my arm and let my bike fall on to his lawn. I didn't see why he couldn't just wait a couple seconds for me to put up my bike's kickstand.

"Hey! My bike!" I yelled as he pulled me into his house.

"It's not like it's broken and no one is going to steal from a cop's lawn." He said.

"Who's that, Duncan?" said a manly voice from somewhere in the house.

"Just a girl, leave me alone!" Duncan hollered, and then led me up the stairs.

He took me to a room full of band posters and wooden skulls.

"Could it be any more obvious that this is your room?"

"Don't hate. It's cozy."

"Righ-" I stopped when I saw the hideous creature crawling around in a glass cage next to his TV. Falling back on to his bed, I pointed in horror, "What the _hell_ is that?"

"Oh that's my pet tarantula Scruffy. Isn't he cute?" He walked towards the cage.

"How is that in any way cute?" And don't you _dare_ take that thing out, especially while I'm here!"

"What? You scared of lil' ol' Scruffy?"

"Ugh, how can someone _not_ be scared of _that_?" I crossed my arms, still on his bed.

"Whoa whoa whoa! You're on my bed!"

"What?" I gave him a confused look.

"Are you trying to," he bent down, "seduce me?"

I stood up as fast as I could, "Don't be ridiculous!"

Duncan stared at me. I still didn't understand why I let him take me into his house, let alone his room. I also could not _fathom_ the fact his dad didn't bother to check on what was going on up here.

"I'm just kidding." He looked to the side.

I looked away, too, pursing my lips, "So what did you mean by 'just a girl'?"

He looked at me, "Huh?"

"Before, your dad asked who I was and you said," I added finger quotations, "'just a girl'."

Duncan sat on his bed and layed back with his hands behind his head, "Hmm."

"Okay then." I rolled my eyes and was about to turn the knob of his door.

"Are you trying to ask me what you are to me?" He sat up.

"I don't know; this is all just too confusing."

He got up from his bed and walked to me. He shifted his eyes around and put his hands in his pockets. My initial response was to cross my arms and ridicule him but instead I just waited for what he had to say.

"I guess you're my girlfriend."

"Whoa!" I waved my hands in front of me, "When did I agree to this? Actually when did you _ask_ me?"

"Okay _princess_ do you want to be my girlfriend? You know, my significant other? Main squeeze? My bab-"

"I get it! Fine!"

"Awesome." He gave me a rock hand sign.

I managed to surprise _myself _when I agreed to that. My head was spinning out of control. I was afraid of what Heather and the others would think. Duncan was known to be the top troublemaker- a delinquent. Was I going to be shunned or smack-talked about?

"Just…" I looked to the side, "Don't tell anyone."

"Seriously?"

"At least not yet! You out of all people should know why."

"I guess." He shrugged.

"Anyways… I have to go. My parents think I'm just out riding my bike."

Duncan leaned on the wall, still facing me, "It's pretty early still, _babe_. Do you wanna do something tonight?"

"As long as you don't call me _babe._"

"Come by my house at seven then. By the way, try not to wear anything too girly."

"Why?"

"Nothing… you'll see."

I raised a brow, "Huh? What's that suppose to mean?"

"Nothing! Just go." He pushed me out of his room, "I'll see you later princess!"

I had almost stumbled onto the wall after he pushed me out. The nerve he had!

_Is this how he treats his girlfriends?_

_Girlfriend._

_GIRL._

_FRIEND._

_God damn, what have I gotten myself into?_

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><p><strong>Me: Did you like it? *puppy eyes*<strong>

**You: *holds a pitchfork and a torch* "WHY DID YOU TAKE SEVEN YEARS TO PUT UP THE NEXT CHAPTER?"**

**Me: OTL "I'M SO SORRY"**

**Duncan: We got us a good ol' fashioned angry mob!**

**Me: Oh lawdy please no D: have mercy on my soul!**


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